


Echoed Voice

by ZZ_Chikorita



Series: Jolly Rogers [8]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Childhood Friends, Gen, Hawaiian Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Panic Attacks, hawaiian culture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23560237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZZ_Chikorita/pseuds/ZZ_Chikorita
Summary: Guzma gets a temp job under an old friend on Melemele.
Relationships: Guzma & Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui, Guzma/Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui
Series: Jolly Rogers [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680463
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Echoed Voice

**Author's Note:**

> Ch. 8

It's been a couple weeks since the Team Skull Boss had that little 'come to Arceus' with Moon. 

She did call to say she needed just a little more time. She said she'd tap into her champion winnings and send a bit of money every week if he agreed to not take any 'shady jobs' and eat 'for the love of Koko'. 

Guzma begrudgingly took the deal. He's not about the whole notion of charity. People don't do good things just for the sake of it. They are cruel, vile creatures driven by greed and malice. At least, that's what Guzma has believed for a very, very long time. But, the idea of free money is still tempting and if it means he doesn't have to (quite literally) get on his knees to bring in the cash, then that's alright with him. 

"Hey Boss." 

Plumeria strolled into Guzma's room. She was dressed in a slate-colored blazer and matching slacks. Her hair was pulled back and up into a low, messy bun. 

Guzma was sitting in his chair upside-down with his back resting against the seat and his legs propped up on the back. His laptop was resting on his chest and stomach. 

He let his head fall back over the seat and replied, "Oh. Hey Plums pffffffft-!" 

He snickered and laughed while flipping himself up into a normal sitting position. 

"Sweet Bulu, I ain't never gonna get tired of seeing you in that bougie-ass outfit," he said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye.

"I'm glad to see you're in better spirits today."  
She took off her blazer and draped it over her arm.  
"You hear from Moon yet?"

"Nah, not yet... How's the Ass-hole Foundation?"

"Work was fine, thanks for asking. Have you eaten yet? Your face looks a lot better."

"Good t'know my face looked like shit before-"

"I just mean it's filled out more you dumbass."  
Plumeria laughed and thew her jacket at him.  
"I stopped by the post, you got some letters from the temp agency. They're in the pocket."

Guzma pulled the garment off himself and then turned it all around, trying to find the pockets. Eventually, a couple envelopes fell out onto his lap. He collected them and then tossed Plumeria her blazer back. 

"Thanks Plums, 'ppreciate it."

"No problem. Imma go get changed." 

As she exited the room Guzma called out, "Don't you wanna just change in here? I don't mind none!"

She continued walking but raised her fist with her thumb and middle finger extended and replied, "You're a pignite, māhū."1

"You only say that 'cuz I'm so hot!"

She continued on her way, ignoring her predictably perverted boss. 

Guzma opened up the letters he was just given. He hoped there was some good paying ones. And hopefully not any kind of office jobs. Guzma thought he would throw up if he had to wear a shirt and tie again. 

Guzma studied the documents. One letter said they need some pyukumuku chuckers at Hana Beach.  
No, he'd like to avoid going near the hotel if he can....

He continued looking until coming across a job with a hefty payout. 

"Hey Goli, looks like they need tillers at the Berry Fields."

Golisopod was in the corner, curled up fast asleep, an old, dingy rag covering his face.

Guzma decided he would tell him later.  
It's always great when there's a job Golisopod can help out with. More labor, more money, simple as that. 

Although... it is on Melemele, not one of Guzma's favorite islands to visit. He has an assortment of memories and experiences on that island and they're not necessarily good. 

Oh well, it's only for a day, he can suck it up for that long.

~~~

Cool water streamed down Guzma's face and onto his white tank as he drank from his canteen like it was a tequila slammer. Working outdoors in the oppressive Alola sun meant dehydration was always imminent. Living on the islands all his life, Guzma was use to this kind of heat, however the past several weeks of intentially dehydrating himself was beginning to weigh on him. 

It's amazing how much of a person's weight is just water. When you remove that water, muscles and features become much more defined. Unfortunately, you are also robbing the body of the means it needs to function properly. 

Because of the promise he made to Moon, Guzma's been trying to maintain a normal diet and keep hydrated but, despite this, his body hasn't completely recovered from how he mistreated it.

"You alright there, Brother?" 

The owner of the berry fields, an older Alolan gentleman, strolled up to him. He held out a straw hat and said, "Guzma, how 'bout you where a hat? Your arms are cookin' and you look like you just went swimming."

Guzma looked down and examined his blush-tinged forearms. His shirt was soaked through by sweat; he might as well not be wearing a shirt with how transparent it became. He also wore a white durag to catch any sweat hell-bent on making its way into his eyes.

"I appreciate it, but I'll pass. I can't stand hats." 

The man simply shrugged and walked back toward the house at the edge of the fields.

"Let me know if you change your mind!" he shouted over his shoulder.

He's a really nice guy and has known Guzma since the boss was just a kid. In fact, on more than one occasion, he would catch Guzma stealing berries from his farm. 

Instead of getting mad or calling the police, every single time, the man would invite him in and share whatever he was cooking that night. It never really occured to him at the time, but looking back on it, Guzma realized that the man must have been aware he only stole because he was literally starving. 

Taking one last swig, Guzma grabbed his hoe and began to cut at the ground. Across the way, he caught a glimpse of Golisopod stabbing at the ground with his claws. He seemed to be handling the heat better than his trainer, but a Water type in harsh sunlight loses energy a lot quicker than normal.

Their shift was however long it takes them to get the fields done, so they just had to focus and keep at it so they can go home and relax. He could really go for some nice, cool Po Town rain right about now.

"Alola! Guzma!" a voiced called out behind him.

"Bulu..." Guzma mumbled to himself.

He knew that voice...

This is precisely one of the reasons he hates coming to Melemele. Guzma kept on plowing, hoping he was maybe hallucinating via sun stroke, as he really did not want to deal with this right now. 

Eventually, the footsteps got too close for him to ignore. He glanced up and his eyes were met by a man's exposed, well-toned, rich, russet-brown abdominals curtained on either side by a long white coat. His eyes quickly returned back to his work.

"Whaddya want Kukui?" he growled.

"I just saw you and thought we could chat," the professor responded in a cordial manner.

"I'm on the clock."

"There's no reason we can't talk like civil adults."

"Take the hint and take a walk Suburbia."

"You can't spare one minute for an old friend, Brother-"

Guzma quickly straightened up, looming over the, much smaller framed, Alola professor. 

"You have no right to call me _that_."

Before Kukui could say anything, the Berry Fields manager was standing in between the two of them.

"Whoa! Hey! Let's take a breath!" -he stood facing Kukui- "Professor Kukui! Good to see ya! Surely you didn't drop by just to antagonize my employees!"

Kukui stared past the man into Guzma's seething eyes and answered in an even keel tone, "Of course. Once I have my order, I can be on my way. Gotta get home to the _wife_."

"Excellent! Right this way!" he placed his hand on the Kukui's back and began to lead him toward the house.

Guzma went back to tilling, this time much more quickly and aggressively than his tired body would prefer him too. 

~~~

As twilight set in on the island, Guzma and Golisopod had finally finished their work and were taking a well-earned rest under a large palm tree by one of the fields. 

"Alola!!!" the manager called out to them from the stoop of the house, "How 'bout you boys stay for the grinds, eh?"2

Guzma was so hungry, he was almost nauseous. The two sprung up and swiftly made their way over to the house, pushing each other out of the way to be in front like a couple of kids. 

After politely thanking his old friend for the meal, Guzma began greedily scarfing the food, pausing only every so often to throw a bit of meat to an eagerly awaiting Golisopod.

"Brother, you spoil that bug ya know... but I suppose he worked as hard as you today," he chuckled heartily as he pulled a couple of bottles out of the fridge, "Pau Hana?"3

He tossed one over and Guzma snagged it out of the air. He motioned to Golisopod who gingerly popped off the cap with the tip of his claws. 

He raised his bottle to aged man and grinned.

"Pau Hana." 

Guzma threw the beer back, the cold beverage satisfying his thirst far more than the lukewarm canteen water (at least mentally).

"Oh, and eat this," he said tossing him a rawst berry, "I told ya to wear the hat didn't I?"

Guzma rolled his eyes but eventually, and nonchalantly, complied. 

"You still remember the burn poultice?"

"Course I do," Guzma replied, still shoveling food into his mouth.

"The let's hear it! C'mon now!"

Guzma let out an audible sigh.  
He'd always do this.  
Granted, he appreciated the old man teaching him about all the different berries and how to use them when he was growing up, but he didn't want to be quizzed like he a was child.

He gave him a pleading look of annoyance, hoping that he'd let him off this one time, but his manager's expression would not waver for even a second.

"Occa, yache, iapapa..." he grumbled, "if ya got it you can add oran, lum, and wacan. Add aspear flesh for pain relief...."

"And that's that? You don't have to do nothing special? Simple as that?"

Accepting he wasn't going to get out of this conversation so easily, he set down his fork and continued, "...Ya gotta boil the occa thoroughly or you in for a hella bad time. The other ones gotta be raw, especially the yache, which can also be taken orally with rawst. Use flesh of yache, aspear, oran, wacan, and lum. Juice of iapapa. Ya really gotta mince and blend the occa after boiling the shit out of it."

The man leaned back in his chair and smiled, finally satisfied with Guzma's recollection.  
Thankfully, there was no need to create such a concoction tonight as the sun merely flushed some parts of his shoulders, arms, and face; a simple rawst berry would heal minor burns like that within twelve hours. 

They sat there in comfortable silence for a while as they finished their meal. 

"So uhh..." -the manager scratched the back of his head- "You and Kukui still not on good terms?"

Guzma turned and petted Golisopod without answering. 

"C'mon Guzma, you guys were inseparable when you were kids. What happened?"

"It's nunya business old man," he snapped.  
A wave a guilt quickly washed over him for his harsh tone.  
"It's just... people change..."

He nodded, content not to push the subject any further.

He wasn't sure what the feeling in his stomach was that compelled him to keep talking but eventually Guzma piped up again, "When I ran.... I dropped out of the trials... got into some bad shit... involved with some bad people..."  
His voice trailed off as he pushed around some grains of rice on his plate. 

"I'm sorry my brother..."  
The man's voice was solemn  
"I wish I could've protected you more. Done something differently..."

"So you did know..." Guzma looked up briefly before averting his eyes once again. 

"You really didn't think I knew with you showing up every other week battered and bruised? I tried on several occasions to make a report. But you have to understand, our region is one rich in culture and history, not legal tender."

Guzma kept his gaze fixed on his plate.

"The police didn't, in fact they still don't, have the manpower or resources to handle those kinds of cases. You know better than anyone that every child in Alola that gets put into the system gets shipped off to Unova."

Guzma felt his chest tighten and he reached up and grabbed his white hair. He had trouble keeping his breathing steady as memory after memory came flooding back.  
Iron and bruises.  
Frigid nights and empty stomachs.  
Swollen eyes and broken bones... 

Clawing at his scalp, Guzma bolted out the door and stumbled onto his knees. It's like all of the air had been sucked out of his lungs and his heart was beating so hard he felt it in his ears. His vision began to fade until all was dark and quiet as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

~~~

When he finally awakened, Guzma was staring at the ceiling of the old man's house. He sat up and realized that he was lying on the couch, Golisopod curled up on the floor next to it. The man sat in an armchair nearby, reading a newspaper.

"What happened?" Guzma asked, rubbing his throbbing head. 

"You had a panic attack and passed out."

"Tauros shit," he grumbled.

The man continued reading and didn't try to argue with him; he'd been through enough today. 

Guzma gently returned Golisopod to his net ball without waking him and started for the door. 

He grabbed the door knob and then paused.

"You are always welcome here my brother. Please remember that," the man said in a reassuring tone.

Without turning around, Guzma nodded ever so slightly before making his way out. 

He couldn't wait to get home. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Maybe Moon will come by with good news.

Trying to not think too hard about anything in particular, he began to make his way to the docks. He was so ready to get off this stupid island.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Māhū: I find this to be a fascinating Hawaiian/Polynesian term. Today, it's used colloquially as a word meaning gay (often used as an insult). If I had to compare it to a western word I would say it's a lot like the word "queer" in that it can be offensive in certain context but also can be used inoffensively in other context.  
> But, the origin of the word is even more interesting. Historically, one who is māhū is someone who embodies both the male and female spirits. In other words, it is a 3rd gender that is neither male or female and is often referred to as one who is "in the middle". Māhū were also traditionally well respected healers and teachers. I could write an entire essay on this subject because it's so fascinating but these are end notes so I'll stop here. If you want to know more, I've posted some links at the bottom of the notes.
> 
> 2\. Grinds: (common pidgin term in carribean and Polynesian islands) means food
> 
> 3\. Pau hana: also written "Pa'u hana". Pronounced "Pow hana". Hawaiian phrase meaning something to the effect of "time after work", "finished work", or "work is over". Thus a meal after working would be enjoyed during pau hana. 
> 
> **Links**  
> https://ideastream.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/04dee370-6375-45d9-b7e2-83c8b0a23371/the-meaning-of-mahu/  
> https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26966855/  
> http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/1/9/mahu-hawaii-gender-LGBT-acceptance.html
> 
> ~~~  
> [Tumblr page for convenient updates ](http://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com)  
> [Master list of terminology](https://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com/post/615394532986650624/master-list-of-terminology-jolly-rogers)  
> [HCs and Background Info](https://zz-chikorita.tumblr.com/post/615439164403597312/hcs-and-background-info-jolly-rogers)
> 
> Edit: So in that one part I had Kalos instead of Unova. Like, my brain completely broke down. I thought Unova was Kalos and Sinnoh was Unova and fuck if I knew what I thought Kalos was. Anyways, it's a small detail that doesn't make a whole lot of difference but I figured I should address it.


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